The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) reports that over 400,000 pharmacy technicians nationwide have earned the PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician credential since 1995, with more than 55,000 candidates having taken the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam in 2010 alone. PTCB notes in a press release that an increasing number of states have decided to allow only pharmacy technicians certified through PTCB to be employed by pharmacies. Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, FAPhA, chair, PTCB Board of Governors stated that “America’s evolving health care system calls for qualified support personnel that will enable pharmacists to provide patient-centered care with authority and autonomy.”

NABP convened a task force to address the issue of pharmacy technician education and training in late 2009. The NABP Task Force on Pharmacy Technician Education and Training Programs met October 6-7, 2009, to:

review the existing state requirements for technician education and training, requirements for national technician training program accrediting organizations, such as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Core Competencies; and

recommend national standards for technician education and training programs and encourage boards of pharmacy to recognize them.